This is my chili. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My chili is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. My chili, without me, is useless. Without my chili, I am useless.

Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but given the way people fight over chili (beans, no beans, ground beef, chopped beef, Texas, Cincinnati, etc) it’s probably not completely out of line. People think chili is serious business, but it doesn’t need to be. I started making chili because I had a taste for chili. I tweak the recipe every time, and I have fun with it.

On a side note, this is probably too spicy for most younger eaters, but the hot sauce can be left out for a milder chili. And, I would also leave the beer out when serving children. However, I think this recipe still fits the theme of the blog because chili is a great meal that can be stored and reheated, which frees you up to make meals for the little ones. It’s also an easy make-ahead meal for Super Bowl parties that may be coming up so that you’re not trapped in the kitchen during the game.

So, here it is – enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef brisket
• 2 cubanelle peppers
• 1 Hungarian hot wax pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 yellow onion
• 12 cloves of garlic
• 1 can of garbanzo beans
• 2 cans of dark red kidney beans
• 1 large can of crushed tomato with roasted garlic
• 1 small can of tomato paste with roasted garlic
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 6 oz of beer (I typically use a pale ale or a porter)
• 1/2 bottle of chili sauce
• 4 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
• 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce
• 4 tablespoons mexican chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Procedure:

So, the basic story here is “Cut everything up into little pieces, stir together in a slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hrs.”

There are plenty of pictures and babbling from me if you continue reading, but if you just want to get to the chili, the sentence above is all you need.

The first step is to cup up the brisket. I like small pieces, between 1/4″ and 1/2″ cubed.

When cutting up the peppers, I usually cut the wax pepper into very small pieces as this pepper is almost used like a fresh herb to add flavor throughout the chili. I’ve used jalapenos, serranos and cayennes in place of the wax pepper, but I think the wax pepper is my favorite. The cubanelle is my other favorite pepper. It’s not spicy, but has a really nice fresh flavor, with a little more character than a plain bell pepper.

After you’ve chopped the meat, peppers, onion and minced the garlic, add these all to your slow cooker and stir.

Next , add the crushed tomato and the tomato paste. Drain the diced tomatoes, and add them as well. Strain and rinse all the beans, and add them to the mix.

Add all of the wet ingredients – the worchestershire sauce, hot sauce and chili sauce. Stir well and then add the dry spices.

Last, add the beer and stir well to combine everything. The beer not only adds its own flavor, but the alcohol helps dissolve some of the oils in the chili and disperse the chili flavors. The last thing I do is dust the top of the chili with fresh black pepper. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

I like to serve my chili with a little sharp cheddar on top, but it works well with sour cream, avocado, parmesan or even just plain.

And, of course, there should be plenty of leftovers.

That’s my chili – as always, Enjoy!